Michigander

Yeah, they seem pretty frisky right now and it seems to be freaking out the bass around here. Do you know what bass do during this "event"? It seems like the bite shuts down when it's time to make baby carp.

Glad to hear Shimano's warranty department is good. Last time I called their customer service line with a rod question, the guy on the other end just read the Web site page to me. They lost a sale that day.

Yes, it was a primary technique for me. I just switched to baitcasters this year because the weight of a solid pitching/punching spinning outfit was starting to hurt my arm/back. Still think the technique is easier on the spinning reel but you have more control on the baitcaster.

The last week or two, the carp seem to be everywhere. Do they spawn around this time of year or something? They're schooling and jumping all over the place.

Those are adorable!

I went down to Kentucky Lake for the Triton Boat Owners Tournament the other year and ended up catching a bunch of smallmouth. I did what I do up here in Michigan... which also tends to catch a bunch of smallmouth..... So maybe it doesn't matter much? I did learn that trying to fish ledges without Spotlock is a huge pain. Remedied that at least. ?

If fishing on slack line, the sensitivity of the rod, or lack thereof, is basically a non factor for most people. I'm told some ultra high end rods would pick up the bite, but I sure don't have that kind of money/gear. You have to watch the line for any subtle movement that you didn't cause.

I had some swallow the hook when I first started fishing weightless Senkos. My timing was all wrong. Now I have it down and haven't had a problem since.

You're waiting too long after the bite to set the hook.

Good to hear. Maybe I will hit that this weekend. Been dying to pitch some decent pads. If you make it all the way back through the swamp channel it actually gets deep again in the last pool. Roughly 15 feet if I remember correctly.

Seems like nothing but wind on the lakes up here in Michigan. Frustrating for me in the kayak when all I want to do is flip bushes because the water is so high and murky.

We're the lily pads grown in yet?

A small inland, darkwater lake like that paired with the heat we've had lately, sure.

Bass is fine, but can't hold a candle to Walleye as far as my taste goes.

Good luck tonight, let me know how Muskrat fishes, haven't made it out there this year yet.

Right on. Look forward to seeing your work on here! Good luck!

Lansing is more central-southish. I fish more towards you than I do toward Detroit or the thumb area, LoL. Usually the furthest east I go is Brighton or Holly.

Welcome! I'm over in Lansing. We're getting a pretty good Michigan crew going on here!

Once SMB's figured out Gobies were delicious, our lakes like that turned into giant buffets. LoL

I usually mix up a 5-10oz bottle of thinner at a time in a bottle and add a drop or two of soap just to break the surface tension. Side note, not cheap, but the Vallejo Metal Colors line puts all other acrylic metallic paints to shame: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012A94O64/ref=psdcmw_2236131011_t3_B012A93HZS

Yep, they have most of what you want. Their Website sucks on mobile, so use a computer if you're buying more than one or two things. I also found the variety pack from Jann's Netcraft a great value for getting a pile of random accent colors without having to commit to a bigger order for rarely used colors.

Surface prep is very important, especially if there's any kind of mold release agent on the body. Also try to avoid handling the bait with your bare hands as the oils from your skin may interfere with adhesion. Using distilled water is also preferred in case your tap water doesn't play well with the paint. I stopped using Windex as a thinner because it was giving me inconsistent results and tends to give me worse tip dry than other methods. A 10:1 mixture of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol with a trace amount of liquid glycerin (or dish soap) makes an excellent DIY thinner. Or you can get Vallejo Thinner and Vallejo Flow Improver if you want great premade juices. I encourage you to use an actual primer rather than just jumping straight to paint. Even a light coat from a rattle can will work fine. Often, the smoothness of the plastic won't have enough grip for the paint to stick to which would certainly help explain your peeling problem.

Yeah, cheap hobby paint isn't great but I never liked Createx paints either. I use Vallejo, Reaper, and a little bit of Citadel for acrylics. My preferred primer is Badger Stynylrez but for impact strength the Vallejo Mecha primer series is also excellent. Regular Vallejo primer, not so much. If you're getting peeling, that sounds like it's possibly an adhesion problem with the surface or a curing problem. Are you washing the surface with warm soapy water before priming? What kind of primer are you using? What are you using to thin your paints?

Was at Woodland Lake in Brighton today. 6+ hours and only a couple nibbles. Water was warm, high, and muddy. Carp were everywhere all day. We saw one bedding pair of Largemouth but a ton of bass fry/fingerings in the few shallow areas with a couple feet of visibility so I'm thinking that lake is mostly post spawn now. Maybe the carp are getting ready to spawn, they were very active the whole time.

Went fishing again today near St. Johns, water was up about 3 feet and visibility was only an inch or two. It was fun to fish in the forest that was flooded but had no luck in there with a spinnerbait and Toadrunner. However, was killing it in flooded bushes pitching a dark jig.